Super Mario Maker

Genre: Platformer / Content Creation Application

Players: 1

.

Review:

Super Mario Maker, released on Wii U in 2015 with an altered version released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016, is a Platformer and Content Creation Application that allows players to create their own Mario levels. Previously, players could share their levels online, and while you can still download others’ levels as of this writing in 2022, players can no longer upload their own levels, nullifying a part of the appeal of this game. Then, of course, there’s the elephant in the room – this game has since been succeeded by Super Mario Maker 2 on Nintendo Switch. As such, the natural question many players may have is… is the first game even still worth getting?

In terms of presentation, Super Mario Maker presents levels that look identical to those from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U, featuring the same colorful 2D and 3D visuals and same memorable soundtracks that those games had. These visuals are surrounded by a simple, cartoony exterior designed to make the process of building your own stages as simple and user-friendly as possible.

With players no longer able to upload stages, there’s now little reason now to create your own courses in this game beyond self-gratification, but it bears mention that course creation here is simple, fun, and unlike Super Mario Maker 2, this game gives players a bit of a sense of discovery as they uncover fun little mix-and-match tricks hidden within the game’s robust creation tool set.

As for playing the levels themselves… well, the core gameplay here is classic Mario, but as for the quality of the level design, that’s entirely up to the individual players that created these levels. There’s an assortment of built-in Nintendo-crafted levels (with some of them unique from the 3DS game), but the majority of the content you’ll be playing here is all community-driven. And while this game’s curation tools for finding good levels was originally pretty hit-and-miss, post-release updates have improved this quite a bit.

Okay, so let’s get to the main question here – why play Super Mario Maker on Wii U when Super Mario Maker 2 exists, and on a current-generation platform? There are a few things Super Mario Maker has to offer that are not in its sequel. First, the ability to use Amiibo to create a “?” mushroom in maps created within the Super Mario Bros. skin that allows Mario to transform into that Amiibo’s character – this is a unique feature that was inexplicably removed from Super Mario Maker 2. In addition, using the touchscreen to create your own levels works so much better when you are using the precision of a stylus. And finally, all of the unique community-created levels designed for this game didn’t carry over into the sequel, meaning there is a huge wealth of content that can only be played in the original Super Mario Maker.

However, realistically, is it going to be worthwhile for most people to get Super Mario Maker if they already have Super Mario Maker 2? Well… eh, probably not, no. While the first game still has some unique features and a wealth of unique content, Super Mario Maker 2 also has a huge amount of unique content, likely more than you’ll play in a lifetime. And it’s easier to navigate thanks to better curation tools, too. And while this game’s use of Amiibos is nice, it’s also limited to only one game type, while Super Mario Maker 2 adds the new Super Mario 3D World variant, slopes, “dark world” variants, the ability to play as Link (and not just a skin, and the aforementioned 100 or so Nintendo-created levels. Oh, and there’s also the online multiplayer gameplay (broken though it may be), and, you know, the fact that you can still upload levels.

So while Super Mario Maker 2 can’t claim to be a truly definitive Mario Maker game, it is clearly a huge improvement over the original. If you happen to have a Wii U and want to get your hands on everything Mario-related, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in Super Mario Maker. However, for most people, the Nintendo Switch sequel is going to be the better way to go, for numerous reasons.

tl;dr – Super Mario Maker is a Platformer and Content Creation Application that allows players to create their own Mario levels. As of 2022, players can still download others’ creations online, but they can no longer upload new levels. And of course Super Mario Maker 2 on Nintendo Switch is a far superior game that improves on this one in numerous areas. However, Wii U owners looking for enjoyable Mario gameplay will still have a lot of fun content in this game if they decide to pick it up.

Grade: B

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